MORE | Fall 2018

AFM Based Near Field Radiation Heat Transfer Measurement

The Planck’s theory of blackbody radiation imposes a limit on the maximum radiative transfer between two objects at a given temperature. The objective of the project is to measure the near-field radiation between a silica microsphere and a silica substrate, and to compare it with the theoretical calculations. A custom-designed atomic force microscope (AFM) is being used to facilitate the measurements. The outcomes of this research aim to enhance the fundamental understanding of radiative heat transfer in the near-field, which could lead to advances in microelectronics, optical data storage and thermal systems, including energy conversion devices.